Coaxial cables are a well-known type of electrical cable that may be used to carry information signals such as television or data signals. Coaxial cables are widely used in cable television networks and to provide broadband Internet connectivity. FIGS. 1A and 1B are, respectively, a schematic transverse cross-sectional view and a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of a conventional coaxial cable 10 (FIG. 1B is taken along the cross section 1B-1B shown in FIG. 1A). As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the coaxial cable 10 has a central conductor 12 that is surrounded by a dielectric 14. A tape 16 is preferentially bonded to the dielectric 14. The central conductor 12, dielectric 14 and tape 16 comprise the core 18 of the cable. Electrical shielding wires 20 and, optionally, electrical shielding tape(s) 22 surround the cable core 18. Finally, a cable jacket 24 surrounds the electrical shielding wires 20 and electrical shielding tape(s) 22. As shown in FIG. 1B, the dielectric 14, tape 16, electrical shielding wires 20, electrical shielding tape 22 and cable jacket 24 may be cut, and the electrical shielding wires 20, electrical shielding tape 22 and cable jacket 24 may be folded back, in order to prepare the coaxial cable 10 for attachment to certain types of coaxial connectors.
Typically, each end of a coaxial cable is terminated with either a male coaxial connector or a female coaxial connector port. The two most common types of coaxial connectors are “F-style” coaxial connectors and “bayonet navy connectors”, which are typically referred to as “BNC-style” coaxial connectors. Both F-style and BNC-style coaxial connectors include a male connector and a corresponding female connector port that is configured to mate with the male connector.
BNC-style coaxial connectors are often used in indoor applications. Typically, a male BNC-style connector includes a center pin that acts as a center contact. This center pin is typically crimped onto the center conductor of the coaxial cable on which the male BNC-style connector is mounted. The male BNC-style connector may also include a pair of arcuate grooves in the housing thereof that are configured to receive respective bayonet connector pins on a mating BNC-style female connector port. The arcuate grooves and bayonet connector pins act as a locking mechanism that allows an installer to lock the male BNC-style connector onto the female BNC-style connector port.
To attach a male BNC-style connector onto a female BNC-style connector port, an installer pushes the male connector onto the female connector port while turning the male connector ninety degrees in the clockwise direction (when facing the female connector port). As the male connector rotates, the bayonet connector pins on the female connector port travel in the respective arcuate grooves on the male connector until they are received within locking apertures that are provided at the end of each groove, at which point the male connector is locked onto the female connector port. To remove the male BNC-style connector from the female connector port, the installer pushes the male connector further onto the female connector port to disengage the bayonet connector pins from the locking apertures, and then rotates the male connector ninety degrees in the counter-clockwise direction. The above-described center pin and bayonet locking mechanism on BNC-style connectors facilitates providing a good electrical and mechanical connection between the male BNC-style connector and the female BNC-style connector port. BNC-style connectors may also be connected and disconnected very quickly, due to their pin-in-groove locking mechanism. BNC-style connectors, however, typically do not provide a hermetic seal, and hence generally are not suitable for outdoor use.
F-style coaxial connectors are used in both indoor and outdoor applications. A number of different types of F-style coaxial connector designs are known, including, but not limited to, crimped connectors, swaged connectors and connectors which secure the cable into the connector with compression-style cable retention elements. F-style coaxial connectors connect to a female connector port via an internally-threaded nut that is provided on the front end of the male connector.